The Yanks have a split-squad today. For the sake of clarity, this game the one at home vs. the Braves, with Phil Hughes starting, will be S.T. Game #15.

With both games afternoon games and running concurrently, updates will be slow. I’ll try to update each as I can but please be patient.

One thing that’s interesting. After losing out on Lee, many wanted the Yanks to rush into a free agent signing or a deal. Now, some pitchers were already off the board when Lee made up his mind. I’m trying to recall if Jon Garland was one of them or not. Anyway, it’s interesting to see that Garland is now hurt. Out 4-6 weeks. This after Zach Greinke (who many wanted the Yanks to trade for, social anxiety disorder & ability to cope with NY be damned) broke a rib two weeks ago. Just goes to show… then you think about what could have been. Beltran is hurt (and yes, I advocated the Yanks get Beltran; the alternative at the time was Randy Johnson. Beltran would have helped short term better than the Big Unit did, but long-term, neither would have turned out well, would they?) and look at Santana, for whom Yankee fans were willing to give up some kind of package involving Hughes, Cano or Joba.

Checking out Twitter. Here’s the morning tweets:

Buster Olney: Some rival evaluators have red-flagged D. Matsuzaka, clocked at 87-90 today. They wonder if he’s just slowly building arm strength. Or not.

Another from Olney: The perception of Francisco Liriano’s spring problems this year, from one club official: “He just can’t seem to get the ball down right now.”

Hughes goes 4, not terrible, not great, in & out of trouble. 4 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 1 walk, 2 K, gives up HR. He gave up hits to each of the first three batters he faced (double, bunt single, single). Eduardo Nunez made an interference error. Soriano replaced Hughes in the 5th. 1-2-3 with 2 K. Jorge Posada with a Solo HR. After 4 1/2, Braves up 2-1.

One thing to remember about Hughes. It seems as if he’s been around forever, and maybe expectations are very high, but it worth it to remember that he hasn’t turned 25 yet (and won’t until late June).

Joba a scoreless 6th, gave up 2 Hits, got one K. A-Rod had an RBI forceout. Tied after 6.Joba a scoreless 6th, gave up 2 Hits, got one K. A-Rod had an RBI forceout. Tied after 6.\

Cuts should be coming this weekend. Once cuts are made, and the regulars get more time (heck, Mo hasn’t pitched yet! He’ll get his first action on Sunday) then I’ll get more concerned about wins and losses. Right now, I’m more concerned with individual performance.

This drops the Yanks to 6-7-2 and they are losing the other game. See next post.

The New York Yankees today acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Scott Allen from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for first baseman Juan Miranda.

Allen, 19, went 4-4 with a 4.73 ERA in 16 starts with Single-A South Bend in 2010, striking out 79 batters in 78.0 innings pitched with just 22 walks. He made his professional debut with short-season Single-A Missoula in 2009, going 1-0 with a 0.51 ERA in 12 relief appearances (17.2IP, 1ER). Allen was originally selected by the Diamondbacks in the 11th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft from Lyman High School (Fla.).

Miranda, 27, batted .219 (14-for-64) with three home runs and 10 RBI in 33 games with the Yankees in 2010. In 46 career Major League games over three seasons with the Yankees (2008-10), he has a .253 (21-for-83) batting average with four home runs and 14 RBI. Miranda is one of 15 Cuban-born players to appear in a game for the Yankees. He was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on December 22, 2006.

As I just wrote in the comments yesterday on another post, there was no place for Miranda. He is out of options and if he did not make the Yanks out of spring training next year, the Yanks would have to let him go. With Teixeira at 1B, there isn’t any place for Miranda. Same at DH with Posada. It’s for Miranda’s best. In the past couple days (or in the last week or so) I advocated getting rid of him because there was nothing in NY for him. Get something for him. Nothing personal. Maybe now he’ll get a shot. In NY, he was stuck behind Teixeira and would never get anywhere.

The starter-or-reliever questions are official finished for Joba Chamberlain. “Joba to the pen,” Cashman said. “We made that decision after spring training. We’re not looking to put it back. We told him in the spring, you’re a reliever now. That’s it.”

Alfredo Aceves is healthy enough that he’s expected to pitch in Mexico this winter. “His rehab resolved,” Cashman said. “He was throwing bullpens (and) felt fine. We’re probably going to be talking about winter ball here at some point. He was trying to make it. He would have been a potential guy, believe it or not, to our surprise, if we got to the World Series.”

• Aceves never had surgery.

• Cashman is moving forward with the assumption that Damaso Marte will not pitch at all next season. “Whether (a lefty reliever) is available in this particular marketplace is what I don’t know,” Cashman said. “It’s certainly an area that I would like to have two lefties in the bullpen. I just don’t know if I’ll be successful or not.”

• That said, Cashman has no plans to dump Marte from the 40-man roster. He doesn’t think he’ll need that spot to protect anyone from the Rule 5. “You don’t just release a guy,” he said. “With our Rule 5 protection, I don’t feel like I have a roster crunch.”

• Cashman said he only way he could imagine a roster crunch would be if the Yankees made a trade in which they acquired multiple players, but he doesn’t expect that sort of trade to happen.

• Cashman said he has “zero” indication whether Andy Pettitte will be back next year. Pettitte told Cashman the same thing he’s said publicly: That if he had to make a decision right now, it would probably be retirement, but he’s not planning to make a decision right now.

• The Yankees consider Ivan Nova a legitimate rotation candidate for next year.

• Last year was the final year of Juan Miranda’s four-year contract, but he doesn’t have enough service time to become a free agent, so he’s still under the Yankees control. They don’t have to offer him arbitration, he will simply come into spring training as a 40-man player who’s out of options.

• Cashman listed Miranda, Ramiro Pena, Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Laird as players who could play a bench role next season.

My thoughts? Watch out for Laird, who could grab a backup OF role (Gardner, Granderson and Swisher all could play CF, Swish less so, but if Laird proves capable of handling the corners, the righty who had 25 HR and 102 RBI AA/AAA this year could steal a spot).

I think the Yanks should just let Miranda go or deal him now. There is no room for him. Nova will get a shot, especially if Pettitte retires and/or no Cliff Lee. If Andy comes back and Lee is signed, Nova in AAA as a fallback in case of injury is surely possible.

The Marte news may make getting a Feliciano more of a necessity.

Good to see Joba has a set role. Now he needs to master it. No more messing around with him.

The Marlins have been busy, haven’t they? Traded Maybin to SD. Traded Uggla to Atlanta for Infante and Mike Dunn. Signing John Buck.

The Yanks didn’t do anything offensively until the 7th, when A-Rod hit a 2-run HR, # 29, #612 for his career.

But I was pissed because in the 6th, with only 2 hits and down 1-0, Granderson and Gardner lead off the inning. With all that speed, NEITHER ONE TRIED TO DRAG BUNT THEIR WAY ON.

Robertson got out of a 2nd and 3rd, one out jam in the 7th. 3.77.

Kerry Wood in the 8th. 2/3 of an inning. ERA 3.00. Mo the last out in the 8th.

But Mo blows it in the 9th. Mostly because he can’t hold runners on. Ridiculous. After an out, Mo gives up a hit, then TWO stolen bases. Man on 3rd, one out. Infield up. A sharp one at A-Rod which he should have got. The runner wouldn’t have scored. Instead, it gets past him. Tie game.

Then, two MORE stolen bases off Rivera. Ridiculous. It leads to a SF by Mike Lowell to give the Red Sox the lead.

4 stolen bases. Lead gone. Just ridiculous. I love Mo, but you CANNOT DO THAT.

Mo’s ERA jumps to 1.85. It was at 1.03 not long ago. He’s blown a few this month. I’m concerned. 1 1/3, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0K. The 4 stolen bases off him. That 10th year of a sub-2.00 ERA? Now in jeopardy.

With one out in the 9th, Swisher and Teix single. PR Nunez steals 3rd. Pena PR for Teix. Alex walks. Bases loaded. One out.

Cano up. Time to be an MVP? He does tie it with a single, but Posada whiffs.

Berkman. Time for him to become a Yankee? Nope. Under it. Flies to RF.

Granderson singles. FINALLY, A BUNT! Gardner puts one down and the throw hits him. 1st and 3rd. Jeter is intentionally walked. Bases loaded, no one out.

Golson up. Nope. Thames PH for Golson. I don’t know if I agree with it. Thames has the power for a SF and is a better hitter, but Golson has the speed. Thames is more likely to whiff. Smallball. All you need is one.

Thames hits into a force at home.

Miranda up.

HE WALKS! Game over, 4-3.

Yanks magic # to make the playoffs?

ONE.

Not only that, but the win puts the Yanks just 1/2 game behind Tampa for the AL East.

A rare blown save for Mariano Rivera, and if not for Swisher’s walk-off HR the other day, the Yanks would be staring at a six-game losing streak.

The bats just keep on leaving runners on base. It appears as if they just want to slug in the runs. I don’t see or hear any hit-and-runs, or bunting the runners over.

As I’ve mentioned many times, it appears as if the squeeze isn’t part of the Yanks’ playbook.

…and what you would give for the timely sacrifice fly.

Burnett started & gave up one in the first. It didn’t help that he walked the leadoff man. The Yanks came back with two in the 2nd, but Swisher struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning. AJ gave up another run in the 3rd, helped by … you guessed it, a walk.

He got out of trouble in the 4th. Once again, a walk, and a wild pitch. AJ gives up too many of both.

He went 4, and was pulled after a rain delay. 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 3 walks, 6 K and a WP. 5.13.

Gaudin pitched a scoreless fifth but gave up two in the sixth. 5.43. The Yanks left the bases loaded in the sixth when Swisher flied out. They did get a run in the seventh on a WP, but Posada GIDP with the bases loaded. Missed opportunities.

Texas made it 5-3 in the 7th. Logan 1/3 of an inning in the 6th. 2.31. Robertson 1 1/3 in the sixth and seventh. 1 R given up, 3.76. Albaladejo finished the 7th. 2.08 after 1/3 IP. Wood the 8th. 3.49 overall but superb as a Yankee.

In the 8th, A-Rod hit a bases-loaded double to put the Yanks up 6-5. In the 9th, the Yanks had Nunez on 3rd with one out. They couldn’t get him in. Granted Thames probably can’t bunt. But instead of Thames batting there, why not PH Jeter, and squeeze home the insurance run? Heck, Golson went in for defense for Thames. Why not just have Golson squeeze?

Mo in the 9th. Leadoff walk, single, double. Game tied. Intentional walk to load the bases. Popup. But then a HBP to force in the winning run.

Mo drops to 3-3, 1.36.

The Yanks lead is down to 1/2 a game with Moseley starting today.

Then the Yanks head to Tampa.

In the last two games, the Yanks have stranded 32.

No surprise to me with a Frosh QB starting as PSU loses to Alabama, 24-3.

Russo and Miranda called up as SWB dropped its playoff, 3 games to 1. Trenton and Tampa have advanced and are playing for titles. Tampa is up 2 games to none and is one win away from defending their FSL title.